


Detective Hunter

by DarkShade



Series: Rip Hunter - Unstuck In Time And Space [7]
Category: Alien Nation (1988-1997), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Friendship, Gen, RipFic, identity theft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23758792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkShade/pseuds/DarkShade
Summary: Rip finds himself in LA, very different to the one in his universe, with aliens walking amongst the population. Due to a small incident on his arrival, finds himself impersonating a visiting Detective from London.Now he has to find a missing girl, find his shard and hope no one uncovers his identity theft before he does both.
Relationships: Gideon & Rip Hunter
Series: Rip Hunter - Unstuck In Time And Space [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1096425
Comments: 9
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have never written for Alien Nation before, and haven't watched it in some time so apologies if I've gotten something wrong or the characters don't sound right.
> 
> Next chapter is in progress.
> 
> Enjoy

“What the hell?”

Rip heard the astonished cry as the light faded, the sound of a fist hitting flesh followed in quick succession. Forcing himself to focus he picked himself off the ground and saw a man being attacked. The attacker was humanoid but not human. Pink skin, spots over their bald head with a large body and strength superior to a normal human. Rip recognised the species to be Tenctonese, but this did not look like Tencton. It was more like Earth which made absolutely no sense, but he didn’t have time to question that.

Running over, Rip jumped onto a box to get some extra height and slammed his elbow down on the back of the attacker’s neck. Growling the male turned on Rip, as the bloody man who was being pummelled slumped to the ground unconscious.

“Captain,” Gideon snapped from nearby, “Aim for the armpit.”

Realising what she meant Rip slammed his fist into the axillary nerve, a pressure point for the Tenctonese, relieved when the attacker fell. He glared at Rip for a moment before running away. Relieved Rip headed to check on the man who was on the ground bleeding in a crumpled heap.

“Captain?” Gideon’s concerned voice came.

“He’s alive,” Rip said, he frowned seeing a black wallet laying on the ground, “Detective Inspector Dean Hunter, Scotland Yard,” he read, looking up at the sirens coming from nearby.

“I believe the police are on their way,” Gideon noted.

Nodding Rip quickly pocketed the credentials before grabbing the man’s bag as though they were his own.

Hearing people nearby he called them over.

Rip paced the hospital waiting room waiting for news on the man he’d helped (and whose identity he was currently using). He’d already looked through the documents learning why the man was here and worked out the technology level of the world he was in, which should hopefully mean he could get away with his ruse for a few days at least. 

While he did all this, Gideon sat cross-legged on one of the seats watching him silently.

“Detective?” a nurse appeared finally.

“How is he?” Rip moved over to her.

She took a quick breath, “He’s unconscious at the moment and we will be keeping a close eye on him, but he will recover.”

“That’s excellent news,” Rip said softly, wondering how long the other man would stay unconscious.

“What’s his name?” the nurse asked, “We don’t appear to have been given that information.”

Rip hesitated for a moment before saying the first name that popped into his head, “Ray Palmer.”

“Okay,” she nodded before asking, “Is there anything you can tell me about Mr Palmer’s health?”

Rip sighed, “Sorry, we don’t actually know one another. We’re working together but just met yesterday.”

She gave him another quick nod, “Thank you for your help.”

“If you can keep me up to date with his condition?” Rip asked, handing her the business card he’d found in the bag, both to ensure the man was alright but it also meant if he was still looking for the shard he knew when his cover was about to be blown. 

“Of course, Detective.”

Rip watched her leave before realising he had another question for her, he caught up with the nurse and pulled out a piece of paper, “Can you tell me how to get here?”

*********************************************

The precinct was as busy and chaotic as just about every single one Rip had ever been in as he picked his way through the people. It was interesting to see the mix of human and tenctonese, both in and out of uniform. The two officers at the desk were a human female and a tencton male.

“Can I help you?” the sergeant on the desk asked when Rip stepped forward.

“I’m here to see Detectives Francisco and Sikes,” Rip told him.

The tencton male looked him up and down before asked, “Reason?”

“Detective Inspector Dean Hunter,” Rip pulled out the credentials and showed the officer, “Scotland Yard. I believe they’re expecting me.”

He nodded, “Oh yeah, I’ll take you through.”

Rip followed him towards the desk where two men were sitting, in the middle of a discussion. One human, one tenctonese.

“Detectives Sikes,” the officer motioned to the human who was slouched in one chair before turning to the tencton male in a smart suit, “And Detective Francisco. This is Detective Hunter.”

“Thank you,” Rip nodded to the officer who disappeared leaving him with the two Detectives.

Francisco jumped to his feet offering his hand, “Nice to meet you, Detective Hunter. We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

Noting this bit of information, Rip smiled and shook the other man’s hand, “Managed to get an earlier flight.”

“Well, I’m Matt and that’s George,” Matt introduced them, offering his own hand.

“Rip,” he said automatically, seeing Gideon roll her eyes at him he quickly improvised, “Only my mother and boss call me Dean.”

Matt nodded, “Rip, it is.”

“So, where do you want to start?” George asked him.

Rip knew he had to act as the detective he was pretending to be and work the case. Especially since the man who had come here to do so was currently unconscious in a hospital bed.

“I’d like to read through any update on the case file you have since I left London,” Rip told him, “And then perhaps look at the crime scene?”

Matt nodded, “George will get you set up while I let Grazer know you’re here. He’s getting pressure from the mayor about this which he’s made sure to tell us every hour on the hour.”

“This way,” George moved him to a small desk just behind theirs.

Rip scanned through the files.

The disappearance of Kira Jones, the daughter of a high-ranking British official, was the reason the real Dean Hunter had been sent to LA. Well Rip could help find a missing person while he hunted for the shard.

Picking up the phone he pretended to dial a number, then waited for a few moments.

“Gideon?” he said.

With a smile she perched on the desk beside him, “Yes, Captain?”

“Just to let you know I’m here,” he said, nodding to George who glanced his way.

“I can see that since I can see you,” she chuckled.

Rolling his eyes, and ignoring her cheeky remark, Rip continued, “What do you think?”

“The mix of human and Tenctonese is rather interesting,” Gideon noted, “We must at some point find out how this happened.”

Rip nodded, “Other than that?”

“Well there is currently no sign of the shard,” Gideon said, “But considering the other places we have been it usually appears close to the people you meet. I suggest that you continue on this path which should hopefully put you in the same place as the shard.”

“Agreed,” Rip told her, glancing up with a smile, “I’ll call you later.”

Gideon chuckled, “Of course, Captain.”

Hanging up he ignored the amused look he was getting from his best friend and instead focused in reading the file once more.

“One of these days, Grazer’s ulcer is going to burst,” Matt noted as he returned to the desks, “His collection of antacids is getting bigger every time I go into that office and I’ve been in three times already today.”

George gave his partner a frown before looking at Rip, “Matt is being flippant. Captain Grazer is just very….”

“Highly strung,” Matt cut him off with an amused smile, “But he has told us to go to the scene now. He wants this sorted yesterday,” he grabbed his jacket, “And he says hi to you, Rip.”

Their guest’s confused frown made Matt chuckle, “Unless you’re deemed to be much more important, then don’t expect to meet our esteemed Captain.”

“Except if you do something very wrong,” Dobbs called as he wandered past.

Rip laughed, as he closed the file he was looking at, “Sounds like someone I used to know.”

Matt threw a smile at George, he had not been looking forward to having some stuck-up Brit sticking his nose into their case. So far, Hunter had been okay, but the test was how he’d act in the field.

Sliding into the car, Rip stared out the window as Matt drove. George, being the personable guy that he was, questioned their new friend about himself all through the drive. Matt listened in, it wasn’t that he had any suspicions about their guest, but this was the first time he’d worked with Newcomers, so Matt wanted to know there would be no issues. It had taken him some time to get used to George as his partner, but they had a rhythm now and Matt did not want anything getting in the way.

Rip was relieved that neither detective seemed to know anything about their visitor as it made it much easier to pass himself off. Thankfully they reached the crime scene without Rip giving himself away but to be fair, one thing he knew how to do was lie to people.

It was a talent ingrained since childhood.

Sliding out the car he followed the two detectives up to a room where two officers stood guard, one human, one tencton or as they were known here, Newcomers with police tape across the door. Matt and George nodded to both as he walked into the room, Rip gave both officers a nod hello as he followed on and stopped with a slight grimace. The room was small with a double bed in the centre of the backwall with a bedside table on either side.

“This is the most hideous shade of yellow,” Gideon noted as she wandered around, “Don’t you think, Captain?”

Rip glanced at her before he said, “Lovely décor.”

“I think it’s called Mustard Yellow,” Matt told him, “Or as I like to call it ‘Crazy Making’ Yellow.”

Rip followed the other man into the bathroom and grimaced at the sight of dried blood covering the surfaces.

“Oh dear,” Gideon said softly from his side, “This must be several pints of blood.”

Rip studied the bath, and the blood spatter with a frown, “There’s something not right about this. Why is there so much blood not to mention from the file there was at least one tenctonese shot as well and this is all human.”

“I owe you ten bucks, George,” Matt called over his shoulder.

Rip turned to him confused, “What?”

“I wasn’t sure you’d pick up this was only human blood,” Matt told him, “Since there aren’t any Newcomers in your part of the world.”

“I studied,” Rip replied blithely before he asked, “So, this entire room is a set up.”

“From what we can tell,” George replied, “Especially since the bodies we have did not lose this amount of blood and one of them was Tenctonese.”

Rip mused on this for a moment, “Do you have any leads?”

“A few,” Matt replied, “Some dance clubs the girl liked to go to with her group of friends.”

“Have you been to any of them yet for witnesses?” Rip asked.

“Yes,” Matt replied, “All were useless. We’ve got the security footage but we’re waiting for the CSI techs to finish running through it. That’ll be tomorrow.”

Rip grimaced, “Great. So, until then?”

“Well, you did just get off a plane a few hours ago,” Matt noted, “You should try and get some dinner then sleep so you’re in the same time zone as the rest of us.”

“If you would like,” George spoke up as they started down to the car again, “Then it would be my pleasure for you to come for dinner at my house tonight.”

Rip hesitated.

“Say yes, Captain,” Gideon said, “You may find a clue where the shard is.”

“That’s sounds great,” Rip replied, with a slightly forced smile.

George grinned, “Matt, do you want to join us too?”

“I can’t,” Matt shrugged, “I said I’d help Cathy fix her new furniture.”

“Next time then,” George nodded, climbing into the car.

As Matt began to drive again, Rip wondered if he could solve this case and find the shard before the real Dean Hunter woke up.

This wasn’t going to be as easy as he originally assumed.


	2. Chapter 2

“This is a nice room,” Gideon noted approvingly as she sat cross-legged in the middle of the large bed in Rip’s, well Dean’s, hotel room. Rip had been relieved that the hotel was booked for that night since the precinct hadn’t been expecting him until tomorrow.

After they’d returned to the station and checked into the progress of the security footage, Matt offered to drop him off at the hotel so he could change and leave his things in the room since George had invited Rip to join his family for dinner that night.

“It is,” Rip replied, while he checked the clothes in the bag, “How long do I have until I am due at Detective Francisco’s home?”

“You have one hour and twenty-seven minutes to ready yourself,” Gideon replied.

Rip nodded, “Well it looks as though these clothes should fit me and appear comfortable. I will have a quick shower and then we can go over everything from the case.”

Gideon raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Detective Hunter is in the hospital, Gideon,” he reminded her as he undressed, “The least I can do while I’m here is to help solve his case. Especially as I’m using his identity.” He paused before adding, “Hotel room, clothes and money.”

Heading into the bathroom he turned on the shower, stepping in he closed his eyes enjoying the feeling of warm water batter down on him. He had no idea how long it had been since he’d last had a proper shower.

“I have been thinking, Captain,” Gideon said her head appearing in front of him, making Rip jump.

“Gideon,” he snapped annoyed.

Confusion covered her face, “Is something wrong? It is not the first time we have discussed our current situation while you showered.”

Frowning Rip replied, “Usually you don’t appear in it with me.”

Rolling her eyes, she disappeared, and her voice came from outside, “As I was saying, Captain I was thinking about the shard.”

“What about it?” Rip asked as he washed his hair.

“In every other place we have been, the shard has manifested close to you,” Gideon noted, “Or close to people you have been interacting with.”

“Your point?” Rip called, as he closed his eyes leaning back into the stream of water to clean off all the soap.

“My point, Captain,” Gideon replied with irritation in her voice, “Is that you should not get too focussed on solving this case that you miss something regarding the whereabouts of the shard.”

Turning the water off, Rip grabbed the towel and began to dry himself heading back into the main room.

“I will ensure I do, Gideon,” he promised as he dressed, “But since you’re also here I know you’ll be watching out for it too.” Pulling on the light blue shirt with the black denims he’d pulled on, Rip turned to find Gideon smiling at him. “What?”

“You look very handsome, Captain,” she told him with a fond smile.

With a slight smile of his own, Rip nodded, “Thank you, Gideon.”

“Now,” she said decisively, “Let’s go over this case.”

Rip smiled slightly as the taxi turned into the street. Before he’d left the hotel room, he’d stumbled across a documentary of the arrival of the ‘Newcomers’. He now knew about the crash in the Mojave Desert about five years before and how the once enslaved people were enfolded into the population of Los Angeles. It was extremely interesting, and Rip wished he could go back to witness what was such an historical event within this world’s history.

Reaching the house, Rip paid the taxi driver and slid out to find George waiting for him. The Tenctonese male reminded Rip a bit of Ray in his enthusiasm and kindness to others.

“Welcome,” the detective greeted him enthusiastically, “I’m glad you accepted my offer.”

“Well, it’s very kind of you. And I wasn’t looking forward to eating alone in a hotel room,” Rip replied.

“How rude,” Gideon said from his side with a mischievous smile.

Ignoring her, Rip followed George to the house smiling at how it felt like a home, but he didn’t get a chance to look around much as a small girl bounced over grabbing his attention.

“Hello?” she said, with a sweet inquisitive look.

Rip smiled back, “Hello.”

“Rip, this is my daughter Emily,” George introduced.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Emily,” Rip said, smiling as the little girl offered her hand for him to shake.

Emily gave a confused pout, “You sound different.”

“Emily,” George scolded slightly.

Rip however chuckled, “I’m from London in England. That’s why I have a different accent.”

Emily motioned him to her and whispered, “I like it.”

A twinge of sadness filled Rip at the sweet little girl who appeared to be about the same age as Jonas had been when Rip lost him.

“Rip,” George’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, “This is my wife, Susan.”

The handsome Tencton female smiled warmly at him, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“And you,” Rip replied, accepting the bottle of beer she offered him, noting Gideon’s look of disappointment but relieved she remained silent.

“We keep these for when Matt visits,” Susan told him, “I hope it’s okay.”

Rip nodded and followed them through to the dining room where a teenage boy and an older male sat.

“Rip, this is our son Buck and Uncle Moodri,” George finished the introductions.

Aware of the intense stares from both, hostile from the boy and interest from the older male, Rip simply nodded hello. The teen muttered in his native language and was scolded by his parents.

“Let’s eat,” George pulled attention back to him.

Dinner was nice.

Rip was surprised that he was given cooked meat, since he knew it was not something a Tencotnese family would have and chuckled when Susan confessed that she’d ordered it from a restaurant.

“It was kind of you to invite me,” Rip told her, “You shouldn’t have gone to any trouble.”

Susan smiled, “We couldn’t leave you sitting in a hotel room alone.”

George nodded, “Now would you like tea or coffee?”

“Tea would be lovely,” Rip replied.

“Why don’t you clear up, while I get to speak with our guest,” Uncle Moodri spoke for the first time since Rip had been in the house, “I’d like to learn about his country.”

George gave a worried grimace, but Rip nodded.

“I’d be delighted to get to speak to one of your elders,” Rip said, his words carefully chosen letting them know he understood Moodri’s place in their society.

Moodri grinned, “Excellent. I was going to take my evening walk. Why don’t you join me?”

“Uncle…” several voices called but Moodri waved them away.

Rip stood as well and followed the elder out the back door. 

They walked in silence for several minutes away from the house before Moodri turned to him, “You are interesting.”

“I am?” Rip asked innocently.

Moodri laughed, “You speak very carefully, but your eyes betray that you understand so much more than you pretend to.”

“I’m…”

“Not who you appear to be,” Moodri cut him off.

Rip stopped and smiled slightly, “Neither are you. The Elders of Tencton are a breed amongst themselves.”

Moodri stared at him in surprise.

“Captain?” Gideon’s shocked voice rang in his ears, “What are you doing?”

Rip didn’t move, simply kept a level stare as he waited.

“And what does a man who doesn’t live amongst us know that many Tenctonese themselves are ignorant of?” Moodri asked, interest dancing in his eyes.

Rip let out a soft chuckle, “You’ve worked out that I’m not who I say I am, that I don’t belong in this world.” 

“I have?”

“I saw it in your eyes the moment you met me,” Rip told him continuing as Gideon stared at him stunned, “I know because in my universe I spent time on your homeworld. I was fortunate to spend two months being taught by the ‘Keepers of the Past’ on the most beautiful world I have ever known.”

“A traveller,” Moodri said in awe. 

Rip laughed, “Traveller denotes an ability to decide your destination. I’m being moved from place to place.”

“Would it involve a glowing piece of glass?” Moodri asked thoughtfully.

Rip felt relief fill him and nodded. 

“We were sure someone would come after it,” Moodri told him, “But unsure if it would be a good someone or a bad someone.”

“That I can’t answer,” Rip told him with a sigh.

He saw Gideon frown as she stated firmly, “You are a good man, Captain.”

“Why do the Detectives believe that you are someone they know?” Moodri asked thoughtfully.

Rip sighed, “When I arrived here, Detective Hunter was being attacked. I chased off the thug, but he is now in hospital unconscious.”

“You adopted his identity,” Moodri chuckled before asking confused, “And you’re solving the case for him?”

“I didn’t know where my shard was,” Rip told him, “And it was only fair since my distraction likely meant he couldn’t fight back properly.”

“We should return to the house,” Moodri said as he began to walk again, “They will be getting worried.”

Rip moved to his side, “Can I trust you to keep my secret?”

“You are not a danger to my family,” Moodri noted adding, “This would be a different conversation if you were.”

“Will you keep my secret?” Rip asked again.

“If, before you leave,” Moodri replied, “You tell me about my home.”

*********************************************

Rip sighed as he woke up and smiled to find Gideon lying beside him, watching over him as he slept.

“You look good, Captain,” Gideon said softly, “I’m happy to see that you are taking the advice the Host gave you.”

Rip shrugged, “Well, I’m going to be here for a few days at least. I need to have my wits about me,” he gave a small smile, “And it was good to be able to have a proper night’s sleep.”

“It’s good that we know where the shard is,” Gideon noted before asking what he knew was a question she wanted to know the answer to, “But are you sure that you can trust who guards it?”

Rip smiled at her concern, “Yes.”

“How can you be so sure?” Gideon demanded, “You are not one to trust so glibly.”

Stretching Rip smiled in thought, “At the end of the first year of training, Druce told me that my temper was something that would get me into trouble. At least that was the reason he gave me anyway.”

“For what?” Gideon asked, interested as this was something about his past she didn’t know.

“I’m assuming they wanted me off base and out of the road for some reason. Anyway, they sent me to the home planet of the Tenctonese,” Rip explained, “In our universe they rose up against the Overlords who forced them into slavery. A battle that meant many of their people were lost but, in the end, they reclaimed their world and freedom. I spent two months with their Elders learning how to see more than what was in front of me. A society of scholars and artists and brilliant people whose home was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I learned a great deal and it changed my perspective on many things.”

Gideon nodded in understanding, “You recognised Moodri as an Elder due to your time there?”

“Not exactly,” Rip gave her an amused smile, “He was one of the Elders who taught me.”

Gideon blinked in surprise, “Oh my Captain, you and your secrets.”

“It wasn’t a secret, Gideon,” Rip told her, “I wasn’t keeping it from you, it was part of my training. I never really thought about it much after I left.”

“Until we came here,” Gideon finished for him.

He mused, “This is the first time I’ve come face to face with the alternate version of someone I know. It’s honestly a little disconcerting.”

Gideon rested her hand just at his cheek, “If I could, I would hug you again, Rip.”

“As long as you’re with me, Gideon,” Rip breathed, “I’m comforted.”

They lay side by side in silence for a few minutes before Rip sighed.

“First thing this morning is to check on the real Dean Hunter,” Rip noted, “Then I’ll head to the precinct and help find his missing girl.”

Gideon nodded in agreement, “Then stop lazing about, Captain and get out of bed. We have work to do.”

Rip entered the hospital room of the real Detective Dean Hunter, finding the man was still unconscious.

“He is stable,” the nurse said as she fixed the IV line.

Nodding Rip asked, “Is there any indication when he’ll wake up?”

“Unfortunately, no,” she replied, “But all signs show that he will. It’s currently up to him.”

Rip turned to her and gave her a soft smile, “Thank you. I’ll check in on him later.”

Leaving the room Rip hoped the other man would remain unconscious long enough that his cover wouldn’t be blown.

“Ready, Captain?” Gideon asked from his side.

Glancing over to her, Rip nodded decisively, “Let’s get to work.”


	3. Chapter 3

The precinct was busy when Rip walked in, he dodged round people to find the two detectives he was working with. Matt was on the phone and had an expression Rip had already learned meant, ‘this person is an idiot’ while George was talking to the janitor whose uniform had the nametag ‘Albert’.

“Good morning, Rip,” George greeted him, “Sleep well?”

“Surprisingly yes,” Rip nodded, “Looks like the jetlag caught up with me.”

Matt slammed the phone down making them turn, “Utter idiots,” he snarled.

“Problem?” Rip asked.

Shaking his head, the other man sighed, “Our crime scene has been released. Someone higher up agreed they could since it’s not the actual crime scene. Morons.”

“It’s alright, Matt,” George told him, “I doubt there is much more it could have told us.”

“Sikes, Francisco, get in here now,” a sharp voice came from the nearby office.

Rip turned and saw who he assumed was Captain Grazer, who stopped and waved his hand for a moment before adding, “You too…what’s your name? Hunter.”

“An audience with the Captain,” Matt sighed, pulling himself out of his seat, “Lucky us.”

Following the two detectives, Rip saw Gideon looking concerned and began to worry.

“Sit,” Grazer snapped as they entered.

Rip took the seat at the side, the two detectives grabbing the other seats after Matt shut the door.

“Detective Hunter,” Grazer said as he sat with a folder open on his desk, “When I spoke with your captain, he noted that you insisted on coming here.”

“I did,” Rip replied at Gideon’s nod.

Grazer mused for a moment before continuing, “But you don’t know Miss Jones.”

“He’s testing you, Captain,” Gideon advised.

“You’re right, I don’t,” Rip replied, adding at Gideon’s prompting, “Not since her mother died anyway. After that she pulled away from everyone and started spending time with the wrong people which led her here. I promised her father I’d come and do my best to find her.”

Grazer nodded obviously satisfied, “Okay, good. Sikes, Francisco, I’m getting a lot of heat when this case will be solved.”

“We have a lead for a café Miss Jones was at,” George reported, “We’ll be heading to speak with the owners this morning.”

Grazer nodded looking down at the file before looking up them again, “Why are you still here?”

Matt patted Rip’s shoulder so he would stand, “We’re not.”

Leaving the office Rip waited until they were far enough away before he asked, “What was that about?”

“Grazer questioning your motives for being here,” Matt said before shrugging, “Making sure he can trust you to do your job and not make him look bad. It had nothing to do with you.”

Rip gave a slight grimace as he walked back to the desks where Matt picked up a file and passed it to him.

“CSI techs managed to get us something,” he said as Rip opened the file.

“The café you mentioned,” Rip mused as he read over the information.

“If you’re not busy,” Matt said with an amused smile, “Do you feel like joining us to interview the staff?”

Rip chuckled, “I think my schedule is open.” 

“You’ll love this place,” Matt told him as they headed out to the car, “It’s a Newcomer café. I believe the speciality is ferret.”

“Is it Newcomer exclusively?” Rip asked thoughtfully.

George nodded, “One of the few. It serves no human food or beverages.”

“Then why would our missing human girl go there?” Rip asked, as they reached the car, “Wouldn’t they go somewhere all of them could eat and drink? Especially as it appears to be a mixed group that she was spending time with.”

Matt shrugged, “We were wondering that too. There are plenty of them around the city.”

The three men climbed into the car, Matt driving as always, and they headed out into the city.

Rip hadn’t spent much time in Los Angeles, not since he’d had to do an emergency landing after a fight with a time pirate. And that had been long before the city had risen. The mischievous part of him wanted to bury something to be discovered but knew what the Time Masters would have done if he had.

Miranda chuckled when he told her about his thought, she then suggested different items he could have buried getting more and more ridiculous as she continued, and they’d laughed long into the night.

Rip tried to surreptitiously wipe away the tear that had appeared as he thought of his wife, but Gideon caught him, and Rip saw the concern in her eyes.

“I’m fine,” he murmured to Gideon as he got out the car.

She frowned, “Are you sure?”

“Just thinking about Miranda,” he confessed.

A small smile touched Gideon’s lips, but she remained silent as they walked towards a brightly decorated café, there were seats outside where Newcomers were sitting enjoying their drinks. Entering the building if he didn’t know he was on Earth, Rip would have thought he was back on Tencton.

“Harvey Davidson,” George said as they found the owner in the office, “Detectives Francisco, Sikes and Hunter.”

“I opened this place, so I didn’t have to deal with humans,” Davidson snarled in his native language.

Rip watched Matt turn to George for a translation.

“A girl is missing, possibly hurt,” Rip said before anyone else could, “You will deal with whomever you need to.”

Matt and George stared at him, but George picked up quickly from Rip’s statement.

“Do you recognise this girl?” George showed him the picture of Kira Jones.

Davidson glanced at the photo and shrugged, “All humans look alike.” 

Matt grimaced but before he could snap Rip spoke up.

“You have a daughter, Mr Davidson” he said softly, taking the seat across from the Newcomer.

Davidson glared at him, “Are you threatening…”

“You misunderstand me,” Rip cut him off, “Imagine the fear if your daughter went missing in a place far from home where you couldn’t do anything about it. Now imagine how grateful you would be to anyone, any stranger who could help find your child. The father of this girl lost his wife recently, if we don’t find her soon then he may also lose his daughter. So, if there is anything you can tell us please do.”

They sat in silence for several moments before Davison nodded and told them, “She was here,” he said, “With three tencton youths.”

“Did you notice if she was here against her will?” Rip asked.

Davidson frowned, “She sat as they ate,” he paused, “Thinking back she seemed very obedient and didn’t do anything until they said.”

“Can you describe the youths?” George took over.

“Better than that,” Davidson stood and moved to the counter, he pulled out a piece of paper and quickly scribbled some information, “Here, they’re regulars. These are their names and addresses.”

Rip gave him a quick nod, “Thank you.”

They left the café and headed back to the car as George scanned the list of names they’d been given.

“Well done getting the names,” Matt said to Rip as he leaned against the car.

“That was,” George hesitated before finishing, “Impressive.”

Rip shrugged, “He’s a father, I simply appealed to that side of him.”

“How did you know to do that?” Matt asked intrigued, “You don’t have kids.”

Sadness covered Rip’s face, “No, I don’t,” he said glancing slightly to the side before adding quickly, “But I know someone who was a father, and the loss of his son destroyed him. I was sure that no one could think of their child missing and not help another parent.”

George and Matt, both fathers themselves, nodded in agreement.

“Alright,” Matt said, “We have to get these kids checked. I’ll call the station and get some uniforms to head to the houses to round them up. Feel like lunch?”

Rip frowned, “Shouldn’t we get back to the station and go through any other possible leads?”

“If you want,” Matt said, “But once they round up these kids then it might be a long afternoon. Best to grab something to eat before that.”

George nodded in agreement.

Rip shrugged, “Alright. That makes sense.”

Matt patted his shoulder and they climbed into the car.

*********************************************

“Captain,” Gideon said softly, sitting on the desk at his side, “Are you alright?”

Rip glanced around the busy station, seeing Matt and George talking to others and picked up the phone.

“I’m fine, Gideon,” he assured her.

She looked down at him, “I know how much thinking of Jonas hurts.”

“Then you know it’s also something I do not want to talk about,” Rip replied sharply. He felt her disapproval in the silence, and Rip sighed, “Sorry.”

“We can talk later,” Gideon told him softly.

“I know,” he muttered under his breath.

Gideon frowned at him, “We will talk later, Captain.”

“Rip,” Matt appeared at his side, “We’re ready to talk to the kids. Coming?”

Glancing up at Gideon, Rip ‘hung up’ the phone and walked with Matt towards the interrogation rooms. They’d agreed George would talk to the Newcomer teenagers, all who looked terrified at being brought into the station.

Rip folded his arms and studied the kids as they talked, mostly in English but they slipped into their native language every so often.

He could see Gideon standing in the corner, listening in, and watching him far too carefully. Rip knew that she worried, and since he was not onboard the Waverider where he could be watched properly, it meant she was even more overbearing.

But the fact he’d been reminded of Jonas meant Gideon would be hyper-aware of every little thing he said and did.

“Okay, so that was not as helpful as we hoped it would be,” Matt sighed, leaning back in his chair.

Rip nodded irritated, “Asked by an ‘acquaintance’ to watch her thinking she was hungover.”

“And none of them were lying,” George grimaced, “I’m trying to track down the ‘acquaintance’.”

Rip shrugged, “At least it shouldn’t be hard to find a Jack Innabocks.”

Matt rolled his eyes, “Those guys at the Newcomer Relocation Bureau got really punchy after a while.”

“It’s getting late,” George said, “Why don’t we pick this up in the morning?”

“Sounds good,” Matt bounce to his feet, “I want to watch the game tonight,” he paused, “Rip, are you…”

“I have some things to do tonight,” Rip told him, “But thank you for the offer.”

Clapping Rip’s shoulder as they passed him, Matt nodded, “We’ll see you in the morning.”

As the other two men left, Rip continued to read through the files until he was sure the two men were gone. 

“Captain?” Gideon asked, when he started out the station, “What do you have to do tonight?”

“We’re checking up on the real Dean Hunter,” Rip explained.

She frowned in thought, “And then what?”

He shrugged, “We’ll see.”

Rip was relieved that the real Dean Hunter was stable but still unconscious.

“As relieved as I am that he’s getting better,” Rip said, “I just hope he remains unconscious until we finish the case.”

Gideon frowned at him, “Surely Detectives Sikes and Francisco can handle this case without your assistance.”

Rip shrugged, “Presumably but I want to make sure the girl is safe before I leave.”

A proud smile touched her lips.

“Where are we going?” Gideon asked as she followed him into a taxi.

Rip shrugged nonchalantly, “To check on the shard.”

“How?” Gideon frowned confused.

“While you were looking at Emily Francisco’s drawing last night,” Rip explained with a smile at getting something over her, “Moodri gave me the address where the Elders are holding it.”

Gideon tilted her head in thought, “I thought we were staying until you had helped find the missing girl?”

“We are,” Rip told her.

“Captain…”

Rip smiled slightly, “I just…” he paused before continuing, “I liked the person I was for the short time I was with them. Besides, the Host told me to take time to rest when I could. This will be restful.”

“Then lead the way.”


	4. Chapter 4

Rip stood in front of the former community centre the Tenctonese Elders had been given to use. The outside was nondescript and the words ‘Private, Members Only’ were written in multiple languages on the sign beside the door.

Knocking, Rip stood and waited.

“Members only,” was snapped harshly in Tenctonese from behind the door.

“I have been invited,” Rip replied in the same language, one of the few he could speak without the translator, “By Elder Moodri.”

The sound of several locks being undone came and the door opened, Rip spotted Moodri motioning the much younger male out of his way.

“Welcome, Rip,” Moodri smiled, “I am pleased you took up my offer.”

Smiling slightly, he replied, “I never had a chance to return to Tencton in my own universe. This may be as close as I will ever get.”

Moodri opened the door wider allowing Rip to enter. It was a very blank, nondescript reception area, with a door at the other side.

“Follow me,” Moodri told him, walking through the door into the main sanctuary.

Rip took a slow breath as the world around him became completely different from the one on the other side of the door.

The room was filled with flowers and crystals of all different colours surrounding pathways through the garden, small islands with benches and cushions were located randomly with soft music playing. He spotted several small groups talking quietly, a few others meditating and several others painting. Looking up, Rip smiled at the projection of the sky above him showing the Tencton sky during a summer night.

Moodri drew him through until they reached another door at the back of the room, the Elders sanctum. He could hear murmuring that he, a human, was being allowed into such a sacred place but Moodri ignored them and ushered him inside.

The glow from the shard instantly greeted Rip, and he saw several other Elders sitting just past it. Edging past the glowing piece of the time core, ignoring the tug he felt to touch it, Rip took the offered seat and tea.

“Moodri has told us you are a traveller who has visited our home,” an Elder Woman said.

Rip nodded, “I was lucky enough to be able to spend several months there once.”

She smiled, “Please, tell us about it.”

With a smile he began to talk about a time in his life before he’d lost everything and when he dared to believe in many things.

“This place is beautiful,” Gideon breathed as she sat beside Rip in one of the small islands hidden away near the back of the room. 

“It is,” Rip replied softly. After he’d told the Elders about his time on their planet, they’d offered him a chance to meditate for a while. Rip accepted their offer gratefully, he had loved his time on Tencton, it had given him a perspective he’d never had before.

Gideon sighed, “I wish I could experience it the way you do, Captain.”

Rip tilted his head thoughtfully, “Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be human?”

“All the time,” Gideon replied, “I sometimes feel it would be easier to get people’s attention if I were human. And I could smack you across the head, as you so often deserve.”

Chuckling softly, Rip shrugged, “I guess I do.”

“Do you want to talk about earlier today?” Gideon broached.

“I’m okay,” Rip assured her, “I’ve learned to deal with their loss, and thinking of them makes me sad…” he trailed off, “Gideon, you don’t have to worry I’m going to do anything stupid just because I thought about them.”

“Again, you mean?”

Rip sighed, “Using the core against Mallus was the only thing I could think to do. I wasn’t trying to kill myself. I was trying to protect the others so they could stop him for good.”

“There were other ways to do so,” Gideon said.

“None that could be put together in the time I had,” Rip reminded her. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, “The fact that Mallus was free was partially my fault because I let Sara go through with her insane plan, despite knowing what would likely happen. I failed as a Guardian of the Spear, I failed as a Time Master, I failed as a husband and father, I failed…”

“Captain,” Gideon whispered as he fell silent.

Rip closed his eyes and took several deep breaths centring himself before he spoke again, “I didn’t want to die, Gideon. I didn’t want to leave you alone with people who cannot understand how special you are. I was trying to make up for at least some of my failures.”

“You’re not a failure,” Gideon said.

“My plan was always to retrieve the Waverider after Mallus was dealt with. I planned on giving the team another ship,” he looked in her eyes, “You’re all I have left.”

Gideon reached out, her hand resting just at his cheek and not for the first time he wished she had the ability to touch him.

“Rip,” she said softly, “When you come home then I will be waiting for you. We will be together again, I promise.”

“I’m sorry I disappoint you at times,” Rip whispered, “I wish I could be better.”

“I am not disappointed by you, Rip. I know your strength and your heart better than anyone,” Gideon moved closer, as close as she could without her image melding with him, “You are my Captain. And, as I told you once before, I am always with you.”

*********************************************

Rip woke up but kept his eyes shut as he went through some of the meditation techniques he’d been reminded of the night before. He hoped that they found their missing girl soon, he didn’t think he’d be able to get away with this much longer.

He’d checked in on the real Dean Hunter on his way back to the hotel the night before and all signs were pointing to him waking soon.

Which was good for him, but bad for Rip.

Opening his eyes, he was surprised to find that Gideon was nowhere to be seen. Sliding out of bed and into the shower he hoped she would be back soon. Ordering breakfast from room service, Rip quickly ate while he studied the information he had on the case. When he’d finished eating, he packed up everything just in case. If they managed to solve the case, then Rip knew he had to leave as soon as possible. If the real Dean Hunter woke up then he would also need to leave fast, so he wanted to make sure everything was as neat as possible. He included a small note, apologising for using his identity but explaining why he’d done it. To a degree anyway.

He also added a quick note to the two detectives he’d been working with. 

Heading out the hotel, Rip’s phone rang.

“Rip, it’s Matt,” the voice on the other side said before he could even speak, “We’ve got a lead. We’re on our way to pick you up.”

“I’m outside the hotel,” Rip replied, just before the line went dead.

Glancing around, Rip wondered when Gideon would appear, and hoped everything was alright. He had no way to help her if the Legends did anything to the ship that damaged her systems. He jumped slightly when Matt’s car screeched to a halt in front of him.

“Get in,” Matt called.

Climbing in, he barely had a chance to put his seatbelt on before Matt screeched away again.

“What do we have?” Rip asked, gripping the handle tightly as Matt swung them round a corner, siren blaring.

“Uniform officers spotted Mr Innabocks at approximately six am,” George explained from the passenger seat, looking completely nonchalant about how Matt was driving, “He shot at them and retreated to a warehouse. It is currently surrounded and they’re waiting on us.”

“Does he have the girl?” Rip asked.

Matt swung round another corner, “We’re pretty sure he does.”

“That’s good,” Rip grimaced, wondering if he’d survive Matt’s driving,

Finally, they screeched to a halt and it took all of Rip’s strength not to drop to the ground in relief when he stepped out the car.

The warehouse was surrounded by cops, some keeping people back and others ready to move into the warehouse when ordered.

“Edison,” Matt called to the officer standing closest to the, “What do we have?”

“Innabocks is in a room at the top of the building,” the officer stated, “He has a good view of us, and anytime anyone gets too close he’s shot at us.”

Rip frowned and looked around, “Is there a back entrance to the warehouse?”

Edison shook his head, “Unfortunately no. There is a window but it’s not easy to get to and we have no idea what’s on the other side.”

Musing for a moment Rip finally nodded, “Alright, I’m going to have a look. I’ll try to get in if I can.”

Matt pulled out a radio and tossed to him before handing him a gun, “Stay in touch and be careful.”

Catching the radio, Rip nodded and headed around the back of the warehouse. He grimaced finding that the officer hadn’t been joking. There was a window that Rip knew he could fit through but unfortunately getting to it would not be easy.

“Please tell me you’re not contemplating something hazardous to your health?” Gideon’s irritated voice came from behind him.

Rip turned and smiled at her, “It’s a little less hazardous since you returned. Problems?”

“Nothing that I couldn’t handle,” Gideon replied blithely before asking, “What is happening here?”

“We’ve found Jack Innabocks,” Rip told her, “We think he has girl in the warehouse. I’m trying to get inside without being seen.”

She frowned in thought, taking in the world around her, “It would be easy enough with the Waverider.”

“Unfortunately, not an option,” Rip murmured annoyed, “Anything else?”

Gideon winced, “It is something you could have done in your youth…”

“I’m not that decrepit,” Rip said annoyed.

“You were however smaller and lighter,” she replied before explaining, “There is a drainpipe that has been painted to blend in with the walls. If you climb it to the roof, you will then need to lower yourself down and through the window.”

Following her thought he grimaced, “Oh well, why not?” He pulled out the radio, “Matt, I’m going to try and climb in the window. I’ll let you know if I make it safely.”

“What if you don’t?”

Rip sighed, “You’ll know.”

A chuckle came through the radio, “Good luck.”

Tucking the radio back into his coat, Rip headed across to the drainpipe and studied it for a moment. When he was a child, he would have scrambled up this without thought but these days he was a little less…agile.

“Be careful,” Gideon said as she watched Rip begin to climb.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” sarcasm dripped from his voice, “Thanks for the reminder.”

Gideon frowned but decided not to reply as she did not want to break his concentration. She winced worriedly as he pulled himself up the drainpipe, thankfully making it to the roof where she met him.

“Can you by any chance get a look in through the window?” Rip asked, “So I know I’m not going to fall the moment I go through it.”

Gideon nodded, “I will try.” 

Concentrating Gideon found herself on the other side of the window. She stuck her head out and looked up to see Rip looking down at her.

“There is a walkway,” she told him, “You shall be safe, if you manage to get to the window.”

Rip let out a long sigh, “Here goes.”

Gideon winced as she watched him hold onto the edge of the roof and drop, swinging in through the open window. Rip used his long legs to anchor himself against the wall below the window before sliding in.

“Ow that was not fun,” he murmured as he stood up properly. Pulling out the radio he said, “Matt, George, I’m in.”

“Good,” Matt replied, “Let us know when you reach the room and we’ll create a diversion for you to hopefully grab the girl out of there.”

Rip glanced at Gideon before he replied, “Will do.”

Matt turned to his partner, he was surprised Rip had managed to find a way in and wished he’d gone with him. He would have preferred being inside, but it was better that only one person snuck in.

“What’s wrong?” he asked George who was frowning.

“I just received a call from dispatch,” George said, “They received a call from the hospital.”

Matt frowned, “Something wrong?”

“A man who was brought in a few days ago unconscious has just woken up,” George explained, “He claims to be Detective Dean Hunter.”

“What?”

“Grazer contacted London and had them send a picture of Hunter,” George continued, “It’s not Rip.”

Matt stared at him, “Then who the hell is he?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter in this story. I hope you enjoy.

“What did this guy say?” Matt asked, trying to work out how the guy they’d been working with was a fraud and they’d not known.

“He confirmed he is Dean Hunter,” Grazer told him over the radio, “He arrived in LA, was attacked on his way to his hotel and remembers a man in a long brown coat helping him.”

Matt frowned, “Why take over his identity?”

“No idea,” Grazer replied, “But the nurse said our fake Hunter asked to be kept up to date on the real Hunter’s condition. Has even visited him a few times.”

Matt turned to George who looked as bemused as he felt, “That makes no sense.”

“Where is he now?” Grazer demanded.

George took over, “Rip entered the warehouse through a back window. He is heading to the room and on our signal will grab Miss Jones while we distract Innabocks.”

“You let him go in alone?!!!”

“Considering where the window is,” Matt grimaced, “I didn’t think he’d manage to get in, not to mention we had no reason to believe he wasn’t the real Hunter when he did.”

“Captain,” George took over, “Perhaps we should continue with the plan we have, and once we have Miss Jones, we also arrest Rip?”

They waited as the silence on the other end stretched before Grazer finally replied, “Agreed. But I want to know who this guy is.”

Rip moved quietly through the Warehouse to the small room in the corner. Thankfully, the windows were covered with so much dirt it wasn’t possible for Innabocks to see though them. Unfortunately, that meant Rip couldn’t see in but luckily, Rip had Gideon to check the room for him.

“The girl is in the back corner,” Gideon said, “Her hands and feet are tied, she looks scared but from my observation she is not injured.”

“What about the kidnapper?” Rip asked.

Gideon glanced back, “He is at the window, making sure he stays back far enough he can’t be easily struck by a bullet, but he has a good view of the police outside.”

“I wonder what’s keeping them so long,” Rip frowned, “They know I’m in position.”

Gideon nodded before asking, “Do you want me to check what’s happening?”

“Please,” he said softly, “I don’t think we should give this guy time to think up an actual plan.”

She disappeared and Rip waited, going over in his head what he was going to do.

“Captain,” Gideon’s sharp voice in his ear made him jump.

“What?”

“Dean Hunter is awake,” she told him urgently, “They know.”

Rip sighed, “Bollocks. I hoped I could get away with this just a little longer.”

“They intend to follow the plan already discussed then arrest you,” Gideon told him, “You will never get near the shard if they do.”

“I’ve escaped plenty of prisons,” Rip reminded her, “But I agree,” he sighed, “We need a plan that doesn’t get me caught.”

Gideon frowned slightly, “The radio?”

Rip pulled it out and looked at it thoughtfully, “Tenctonese hearing is more acute than human. Good idea.”

“You will need to hurry,” Gideon reminded him.

Wishing he had a proper tool kit, Rip pulled out the small penknife he’d borrowed from Dean and pulled the back off it. Making a few adjustments, he closed it back up and snuck closer to the door.

Pulling out the gun he’d been given, Rip hit the button and tossed the radio into the room. The high pitch that came from the radio was just within the frequency that firstly hurt then in a few seconds should knock Innabocks out.

Rip darted inside and quickly untied the young girl who stared at him confused.

“There are police outside,” he said softly, “Go out and find Detectives Sikes and Francisco, they’ll look after you.”

She looked at him confused, “Who are you?”

Squeezing her arm as he helped her to her feet, “A friend. Now go, quickly.”

Rip checked the male unconscious on the floor, seeing car keys had fallen out his pocket. Those he could use.

“Captain,” Gideon called, “There is a boarded-up window back here. It leads out to an empty street. If you burst through at the same time the police enter the building, then they should not hear the noise.”

“But will catch me when I break my legs falling to the ground,” Rip replied.

“There is a full dumpster below that I calculate you shall be able to hit,” she assured

Grimacing he murmured, “This is probably going to hurt or at best be extremely uncomfortable.”

“It’s your only choice,” Gideon reminded him, “And less arduous than escaping a prison cell.”

Looking around the room he found a small bin to use rather than his body to hit the wood, “Tell me when.”

“Miss Jones has left the building,” Gideon told him, holding her hand up for him to wait. Listening intently she suddenly brought it down sharply, “Now.”

Rip ran and slammed into the wood covering the window, throwing the bin away as he dropped. The air rushed out of his lungs when he hit the dumpster, although thankfully it appeared to be filled mostly with cardboard boxes.

“You will have time to nap later, Captain,” Gideon snapped, “Move, now.”

Forcing his body to work, Rip climbed out the dumpster and pulled out the car keys.

“Please be close by,” he murmured, hitting the alarm button and turning relieved to see a car not far from him flash its lights in response. 

Running to the car, he could see the police scrambling into the warehouse but Matt was standing and turned just as Rip reached the driver’s door.

“Stop!!!”

Ignoring the yell, Rip started the car and started driving as fast as he could.

Matt readied himself to enter the warehouse, annoyed that they hadn’t known that the Englishman was a fake and confused because he hadn’t done anything other than search for the girl. He heard calls and turned to see Kira Jones running out the warehouse.

“Detective Sikes?” she called fearfully, “Detective Francisco?”

“We’re here,” George moved to her grabbing a blanket from the nearby officer and wrapping it around her, “What happened?”

“The other man did something,” she whispered, “Jack fell and clutched at his head. He told me to come and find you.”

Matt motioned one of the female officers only, “This is Officer Dobson, she’s going to take you to hospital, Okay?”

Kira nodded.

Matt gently squeezed her shoulder, “We’ll come and check on you later.”

With that Dobson led their lost lamb to safety.

“He has no way out,” George noted, “There are officers at the entrance he used and this one.”

Matt sighed and nodded, “Let’s go.”

George ordered the team to enter the warehouse, watching them run in Matt pulled out his own gun and started forward. Stopping because something seemed off.

Turning he spotted a familiar brown coat at a car further up the street.

“Stop!!!” he yelled starting to run, before throwing over his shoulder, “George. He’s here.”

They ran, stopping as the car disappeared.

“Did you get it?” Matt demanded.

George nodded.

“Let’s go,” he jumped in the car and started off the same way as Rip had driven while George sent the car details over the radio.

The car screeched to a halt and Rip jumped out. He ran to the building and knocked on the door repeatedly.

“Members Only,” came in Tenctonese.

“The Elders are expecting me,” Rip snapped.

A few seconds passed and Rip breathed a sigh of relief as Moodri opened the door for him.

“What happened?”

“They know I’m a fake,” Rip replied, “It’s time I leave here.”

Moodri frowned, “The girl?”

“She’s safe,” Rip assured him.

Moodri nodded, before allowing him inside. As they started towards the sanctuary another knock came.

“This is the police,” George’s voice came through the door.

Moordri sighed, “You should go, Elder Dara is expecting you. I will deal with them.”

“Thank you,” Rip said.

“If you ever return to your home and visit Tencton,” Moodri said with a grin, “Tell my other self, stop it.”

Chuckling softly Rip headed through the sanctuary and to the back door where the Elder female he’d spoken with the night before was waiting.

She stopped him, “You must say goodbye.”

“What?” Rip demanded.

Dara rested her hand on his cheek, “They became your friends. Say goodbye.”

“Uncle Moodri,” George stated when the door opened, “This is police business.”

Moodri gave a mysterious smiled, “Come in. Please put your gun away. This is a place of peace.”

George turned to his partner who grimaced but, after some time had finally managed to be tolerant of the beliefs of his people. They both holstered their guns and followed the Elder inside. As they reached the Elder sanctum they both stalled to see Rip standing waiting for them.

“You’ve no way out of here,” Matt spoke up, “So, let’s not make this any harder than it has to be.”

Rip turned to Moodri who nodded at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, “I wish I didn’t have to do it this way but once you were aware that I was not the real Dean Hunter then I couldn’t stick around.”

“Who are you?” Matt demanded, “And why did you help?”

“My name is Rip Hunter,” he said, “And I helped because it was my arrival here that distracted the real Dean Hunter. It is more than likely that is why the mugger was able to knock him down. I didn’t want Miss Jones to be left with no hope, so I took up his case while I was here.”

Matt and George swapped confused glances.

“I have to leave now,” Rip continued before they could say anything, “I wish I could explain but to be honest you wouldn’t believe me. All of Dean Hunter’s belongings are in the hotel room. Apologise for me that I used his expense account, but I did need to eat.”

George frowned still confused but said, “Rip, there is no way out of this building other than through us. Please do not make this harder than it has to be.”

Rip shrugged, “You thought that about the warehouse.” The Englishman nodded to Moodri once more before he took a step backwards, “Goodbye.”

Matt and George ran forward as Rip turned stepping into a strange glow emanating from the other room and crouching down. They skidded to a halt as they saw him disappear with the light.

“The traveller has continued on his journey,” Moddri said, once the light faded into nothing, “We were lucky to have met him. May he make it home one day.”

*********************************************

Matt was still trying to make sense of what had happened. George’s Uncle Moodri was absolutely no help as he kept calling Rip the traveller and refused to explain how he’d simply disappeared. They both searched the entire room, checking for secret doors and found none. When they finally left the Elder Sanctum, frustrated and confused, they decided to check out the hotel before heading to the hospital to check on Kira Jones and meet the real Dean Hunter. Opening the door, Matt looked in and saw the room was spotless with a suitcase on top of a neatly made bed. Two envelopes sat on top of the suitcase, one for them and the other for Dean Hunter. George picked up the one addressed to them and opened it.

“Matt, George,” he read, “I wish that I could tell you both in person how much I have enjoyed my time here. If you’re reading this, then you are aware that I am not Dean Hunter. I apologise for misleading you both, but I had no idea how good you both were at your jobs and felt obligated to take Dean Hunter’s place in trying to find Miss Jones.”

George trailed off for a moment with a frown.

“Is that all?” Matt asked.

Shaking his head, George continued, “I know who I truly am is something neither of you will truly understand, despite the situation of your two races. Therefore, I have left information for you to provide to Captain Grazer which will allow you to close the case, even if you can’t arrest me. It’s all on your computer.”

Matt opened his mouth to ask, but George wasn’t finished.

“If you do need to understand who I am,” George read the final few lines, “Then Moodri will explain. It was an honour to work with you both and I hope, some day, in some way we may meet again. Sincerely Rip Hunter.”

Matt took the letter from George and scanned it before he sighed.

“Let’s get out of here,” Matt grabbed the suitcase, “We’ve got work to do.”


End file.
